What Are the 'Florida Man Games'? New Event Embraces Internet Joke

After years of being surrounded by “Florida Man” humor, event organizers in the Sunshine State are putting together a competition day filled with wild activities inspired by the trend.

The Florida Man Games are set to take place on February 24, 2024, at Francis Field in downtown St. Augustine. Organizers have described the event as “the most insane athletic showdown on Earth,” in which people are invited to participate or spectate.

Pool noodle fights? Check. Grabbing for cash in hurricane-force winds? Check. Beer-belly wrestling? Check. There will also be an “evading arrest obstacle course,” where competitors will leap “over fences, through back yards, and away from actual police officers,” according to the event website. The competitions are intended to be “as unexpected as the headlines that inspired them.”

An alligator is photographed in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands on June 27, 2022, in Delray Beach, Florida. The new Florida Man Games scheduled to take place in February will include opportunities for participants to take photos with alligators, according to the event website.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

A note on the event website’s frequently asked questions page says that athleticism “is not required at all” to participate.

Outside of the main events, the Florida Man Games lists a mechanical alligator ride, mullet contest, selfies with alligators and chicken bingo among its other entertainment options.

The term “Florida Man” has come to signify unusual or outrageous stories involving men in or from Florida. The term began as an internet meme but is also often used in news story headlines. For years, the Twitter account @_FloridaMan shared many of those stories with its hundreds of thousands of followers. The person who ran the account, identified in a Washington Post article as Freddie Campion, decided to retire the account in early 2019.

Pete Melfi of the St. Johns County-based media outlet The 904 Now is behind the February event, according to The Orlando Sentinel. Melfi said he wanted to find a way to merge some of the most unusual or eye-catching incidents depicted in “Florida Man” headlines with a competition-styled event.

Sixteen teams will be selected by November 30 to compete in the Florida Man Games’ five main events, according to the event website. Teams that want to be picked have to first submit a video explaining why they should qualify.

Event organizers are “picking whoever has the wildest, craziest Florida Man videos,” Melfi told the Sentinel. He added that people should not try any gimmicks that could threaten their lives or anyone else’s.

During a Thursday morning The 904 Now show, Melfi said the attention on the Florida Man Games is growing. He encouraged people in the area to register while tickets are available.

“You’re going to have a chance to get famous out there,” he told listeners.

Newsweek reached out to event organizers by email on Thursday for comment.